Sans Kemp, the Dodgers didn't miss a beat

If you didn't believe the Dodgers were a good team before, you surely have to now.

Tuesday night will mark the return of the mighty Matt Kemp to the Dodgers' lineup, returning right on time from the 15-day DL with a sore hamstring.  At the time of his injury on May 12, the Dodgers were 23-11 with a six-game lead over the Giants in the NL West.

Fast forward to today, and the Dodgers are 32-16, 6 1/2 games over the Giants. That, my friends, is the sign of a good team.

So how is it possible that a team with very little power somehow lost a legitimate Triple Crown threat, yet  won 11 of 16 games in his absence? 

The Dodgers are a T-E-A-M, that's how.

There's been plenty of credit to go around.  One guy I wanted to see step up was Andre Ethier, and he did not disappoint.  He collected an even 50 at-bats over this span, hitting .360 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, and 10 RBIs.  Not exactly huge power numbers, but he continues to deliver with runners in scoring position at .392.  His bat was very much needed.

Then there's A.J. Ellis, whose All-Star campaign is only heating up.  He hit .310 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 8 RBIs.  Plus, he had two big walk-offs, one on a walk, and the other on a three-run shot.

The two guys who got plenty of playing time in the outfield were also clutch: Bobby Abreu and Tony Gwynn.  Abreu came over never thinking he'd play this much, but boy has he been a big signing.  He hit a fantastic .361 and took 10 walks.  Gwynn has recently been hitting in the leadoff spot, and has hit .304 with 8 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.

Let's not forget about Elian Herrera, who in 12 games this season has hit .310 with three doubles.  Plus, he's already played three positions in such little time.  He's just plain fun to watch.  Jerry Hairston, Jr. recently returned from the DL himself, and has a hit in all four games, including a perfect 5-for-5 on Sunday.

What else?  Oh, there's been big home runs by Scott Van Slyke and Matt Treanor along the way as well.

The starters have been up and down a bit.  The "up" (Clayton Kershaw and Chris Capuano) have continued to pitch huge innings, while the "down" (Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly) have seen their numbers get worse.  Aaron Harang has been somewhere in between.

What has been consistent during this stretch, however, is the bullpen.  Kenley Jansen had a couple of blown saves, but did only give up one run in six games, picking up three saves.  Javy Guerra has been flawless since his demotion from the closer's role.  Josh Lindblom has become a great setup man for Jansen.

All in all, the contributions have been plentiful.  It really has seemed like a new guy has stepped up every night.  Make no mistake about it, though, the Dodgers need and want Kemp back, and here he is.

Let the fun continue.